Parlando: The COC Blog

11/14/2013

Meet the Ensemble Studio Competition Finalists: Lara Secord-Haid

On November 26, 2013, for the first time, nine finalists in the Ensemble Studio Competition will now perform from the mainstage of the Four Seasons Centre, accompanied by the internationally acclaimed COC Orchestra conducted by COC Music Director Johannes Debus and hosted by Grammy-nominated and multi-Juno Award winner, singer-songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright. To watch the competition and see Canada's rising opera stars, visit our Centre Stage website and buy your tickets today! Over the next two weeks, follow along on Parlando as we introduce you to each of our finalists.

Lara Secord-Haid, soprano

For the Winnipeg-based soprano, opera is a family affair.

Lara’s father is responsible for introducing her to opera. “I was drawn to opera because of the quality time I spent with my father, starting when I was very young, listening to the Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera,” she says. “My dad played the music so regularly in our house and I found myself drawn to the drama and acoustic aesthetic of this art form.”

Since falling in love with opera as a child, Lara has gone on to study vocal performance at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and completed a master’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York.

Lara's credits include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (The Banff Centre); the American premiere of Alessandro Rossi's Ritual (The New Juilliard Ensemble); Giulia in La Scala di Seta (Juilliard); and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica (Manhattan Opera Studio). She will also appear as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Manhattan Opera Studio. But her dream role? She would love to play Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviataand the title character in Alban Berg’s Lulu.

Even if she wasn't an opera singer, Lara would still be involved in music in some way, as a musical director working on TV shows and films. She says, “It would be so interesting to get to seek out new music from artists across all genres and pair them with cinematic moments.” When she’s not singing, Lara enjoys musical hobbies like playing piano and collaborating with her friends in art song repertoire.

But she still has time for non-musical activities. Lara speaks some Hebrew, French, German and Italian and stays fit by snowboarding and practicing yoga. She also enjoys tinkering with her fantasy football team. Visit her website to learn more about Lara!

The Ensemble Studio competition is Tuesday, November 26, 2013. Tickets to the Ensemble Studio Competition and Centre Stage cocktail celebration are $100.For more information and to purchase tickets, visit COCCentrestage.ca. You can buy tickets here, call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231 or go to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office (145 Queen St. W.). You can also chat about the event with us on Twitter using #COCCentrestage.